Clasp.



L. A. WILKINSON.

GLASP. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1910.

1,029,654, Patented June 18, 1912.

WI ESSESI INVENTOR k lflftyelzf- WZk/IASOIL,

CQLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (IO-,WASHINCTON. n. c.

LAFAYETTE A. WILKINSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNsYLVANIA.

CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June is, 1912.

Application filed August 18, 1910. Serial No. 577,799.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAFAYETTE A. 71L- KINSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Clasps, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to clasps for securing articles of wearingapparel, and particularly to that type of clasps employed in connectionwith garters for holding in place hosiery of either a fine or coarseteX- ture.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve theconstruction. of clasps of this type, make them easier to manipulate,and to make them better able to control and withstand the conditions ofuse to which they may be subjected.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart'of the specification. For a better understanding of the invention,however, and the advantages possessed by it, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustratedand described one of the forms in which my invention may be embodied.

Referring now to the drawings Figure 1, represents a front elevation ofa clasp embodying my improvements. Fig. 2,illustrates an enlargedvertical section as taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3, shows aside elevation of a clasp slightly modified in construction.

As shown in the drawings the clasp embodies but three fundamental partsto wit, a stationary jaw or base plate a, which is provided with a Wiresupporting loop a to directly engage other supporting means.

A movable jaw or clamping plate I) fulcrumed to the base plate, and aclamp 0 for clamping the plate 6, against the base plate a. The baseplate a, and clamping plate I) are hinged together by a lower depressedportion of the supporting loop a said loop acting not only as a deviceby whlch the principal members of the clasp are ful- -crumed together,but also as above stated as a direct connection for a garter or otherlike means of support.

The lowermost portion of the base plate a is provided with a series ofcross-bars or ribs (4 a &c., to engage a strip of webbing (Z, whichextends downward from a crossbar a in the top of the plate a over andunder the ribs a and back again to the starting point where the ends ofthe webbing are stitched or otherwise fastened together. The clampingplate 6 is confined within the base plate a, and is then bent outwardand downward, its lowermost portion belng somewhat broadened out and atthis point provided with slotted openings 6 b to receive the humpsformed by the webbing d passing over the ribs a By this arrangement apiece of fabric such for instance as the top of a stocking, wheninterposed between the clamping plate and base plate of the clasp whenthe same is closed,

is forced into the slots Z2 b and thereby bent or folded in such amanner as to securely hold the fabric in place.

When, the clamping members of the clasp are open as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 2, the strip of webbing (Z, serves also to raise theclamping plate 6, against the action of the clamp or clamping lever cand thereby hold the clamping member or jaw of the device in an openposition. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the clamp C,embodies a lever bent nearly at right angles to form a short leveradapted to bear upon the plate 5, said lever being disposed in a recessformed between the bent portion of the plate 6 and the base plate a.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the parts of the device are inevery respect the same as those of the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and2, except that the lever c is adapted to an independent slot 0 in thebase-plate and is turned downward against the base plate when the jawsof the clasp are locked in a closed position.

It will of course, be understood that the device illustrated anddescribed is simply instanced as an example of the application of myinvention and that the claims are in no wise limited to the specificdetails of illustrated construction except where such details ofconstruction are referred to and made elements of the respective claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In a clasp, a stationary member providedat its respective ends with ribs and a cross-bar, webbing interposedbetween the ribs and cross-bar, a movable member, pivotally connected tothe stationary member and adapted to hold a fabric between it and thestationary member and to be moved into an open position by the webbingand a clamp adapted to press the movable member into engagement with thestationary member against the action of the webbing.

2. In a clasp of the character described, a stationary aw, a supportingloop, a movable jaw hinged at its upper end to the corresponding portionof the stationary jaw and slotted at its lower end, a cross bar locatedat the upper end of the stationary jaw, a series of cross-bars locatedat the lower end of the stationary aw, a strip of Webbing interposedbetween the upper cross bar and the lower cross-bars and passing overand under the lower cross -bars to form humps adapted to register withthe slots formed in the lower end of the movable aw, said webbing beingalso adapted to engage the movable jaw of the clasp to hold the samewith yielding pressure in an open position, and a clamping leverfulcrumed to the stationary jaw and adapted to lock the movable jaw in aclosed position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LAFAYETTE A. WVILKINSON. Witnesses:

DAVID S. WILLIAMS, ARNOLD KA'rz.

Copies of this natent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

